Alternating Superman
The Alternating Superman is a floor-based bodyweight exercise that strengthens the lower back, glutes, and core muscles through cross-body extension. It improves spinal stability and posture by targeting the posterior chain in a safe, controlled manner.
While this exercise appears simple, AI analysis tracks your perceived exertion and duration to ensure you aren't overexerting a recovering lower back, especially if your HRV indicates high systemic stress. If you have a history of lower back pain, the app can detect struggle patterns and suggest regressions like the Bird Dog to maintain mobility without aggravation. Over time, the system monitors your stability improvements, helping determine when your posterior chain recovery status supports graduating to bilateral or weighted variations.
Form Cues
- Keep your neck neutral by looking straight down at the floor
- Squeeze your glutes to initiate the leg lift
- Reach long through your fingertips and toes toward opposite walls
- Exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower
- Pause briefly at the top to maximize muscle contraction
- Don't hyperextend your neck by looking up
- Don't use momentum to swing your limbs up
- Don't lift your hips or belly off the floor
- Don't hold your breath during the movement
- Don't raise your limbs so high that you feel pinching in your lower back
Common Mistakes
- Hyper-extending the neck
- Lifting too fast or jerking the movement
- Holding breath (Valsalva maneuver)
- Bending the knees significantly
- Lifting only from the lower back instead of the glutes
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the erector spinae running along your spine and the gluteus maximus, essential for posterior chain strength. It also engages the lower and middle trapezius for shoulder health and utilizes the deep core muscles to stabilize the torso against rotation.
Primary
Secondary
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